The invention relates to a valve operating mechansim.
In a wellbore, one or more valves can be used to control flow of fluid between different sections of the wellbore. Such valves are typically referred to as formation isolation valves. A formation isolation valve can include a ball valve that is controllable with a shifting tool lowered into the wellbore. For example, the shifting tool can be attached to the end of a tool string (e.g., perforating string). The shifting tool engages a valve operator that is operably coupled to the valve to rotate the valve between the open and close positions.
In addition to use of a shifting tool, such valves can also be operated remotely, such as by application of fluid pressure from the surface to a valve. In addition to valves, other equipment may also be located downhole. Such equipment may also be operable by fluid pressure applied down the wellbore. Thus, a need arises for a mechanism that can prevent actuation of a valve when such fluid pressure is applied to operate the other equipment.